The group had a single in the British Top 60 with "At Home He's A Tourist" in 1979, which was blacklisted by Top Of The Pops for its use of the relatively innocuous term "rubbers". Storming, Doc Marten-booted and fueled by a heady cocktail of Gramsci, Marx and lager, out of the Leeds art-school scene that produced The Mekons and Delta 5, they played a stripped-to-the-wire, funk-fueled permutation of punk rock. This is best exemplified by the dry production and forceful polemic of debut effort Entertainment! - Gang of Four's later albums (Songs Of The Free and Hard) found them softening some of their more jarring qualities, and drifting towards disco.
Critic Stewart Mason has called "Love Like Anthrax" (their first single, later re-recorded as "Anthrax") not only the group's "most notorious song" but also "one of the most unique and interesting songs of its time"; it's also a good example of Gang of Four's social perspective. After a minute-long, droning, feedback-laced guitar intro, the rhythm section sets up a funky, churning beat, and the guitar drops out entirely. In one stereo channel, King sings a "post-punk anti-love song", comparing himself to a beetle trapped on its back ("and there's no way for me to get up") and equating love with "a case of anthrax, and that's some thing I don't want to catch." Meanwhile in the other stereo channel (and slightly less prominent in the mix), Gill reads a deadpan monologue about public perception of love, and the prevalence of love songs in popular music: "Love crops up quite a lot as something to sing about, 'cause most groups make most of their songs about falling in love, or how happy they are to be in love, and you occasionally wonder why these groups do sing about it all the time." The simultaneous vocals are more than a little disorienting, especially when Gill pauses in his examination of love songs to echo a few of King's sung lines.
Allen left after Solid Gold and was replaced briefly by Buster Jones (who never recorded with the group), then by Sara Lee; Allen later co-founded Shriekback, Low Pop Suicide and The Elastic Purejoy.
Their angular, slashing attack and liberal use of dissonance had a significant influence on their post-punk contemporaries in the States, including Mission Of Burma. Gang Of Four went on to influence a number of successful funk-tinged alternative rock acts throughout the 80s and 90s - even, arguably, many rap-rock and nu metal groups who were "not in touch with their ancestry enough to realize it" (Andy Kellman, on allmusic.com) - although few of their followers were as arty or political. Michael "Flea" Balzary of Red Hot Chili Peppers has stated Gang of Four were very influential on his band's early music.
Gang of Four can also be credited as one of the early influences on techno or electronic music; they released dance remixes of several later singles.
Recently the band has enjoyed a resurgence in popularity, initially due to emergence of new post-punk influenced bands such as The Rapture and Radio 4 and then the rise of Franz Ferdinand and Bloc Party, which led to the renewed patronage of the NME. The original Burnham/Allen/Gill/King lineup reformed in November 2004. In October of 2005, Gang of Four released a new LP featuring new recordings of past songs, entitled Return The Gift.
Dave Allen also co-hosts a twice-weekly "New Music Hour" radio show with Portland, Oregon's 94.7 alternative radio station.
Andy Gill died on 1st February, 2020 from, according to reports, a respiratory illness caught on the group's tour in Asia the preceding year. He was the only original member still playing in the Gang Of Four.
I Love a Man in Uniform
Gang of Four Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I had to be strong for my woman
(You must be joking, o man you must be joking)
She needed to be protected
The good life was so elusive
Handouts, they got me down
I had to regain my self-respect
The girls they love to see you shoot
I love a man in a uniform [Repeat: x4]
To have ambitions was my ambition
But I had nothing to show for my dreams
Time with my girl I spent it well
(you must be joking, o man you must be joking)
The good life was so elusive
Handouts, they got me down
I had to regain my confidence
So I got into camouflage
The girls they love to see you shoot
I love a man in a uniform [Repeat: x4]
I need an order
(shoot, shoot)
I need an order
(shoot, shoot)
I need an order
(shoot, shoot)
I need an order
(shoot, shoot)
To have ambition
Was my ambition
Time with my girl I spent it well
(you must be joking, o man you must be joking)
The girls they love to see you shoot
The girls they love to see you shoot
I love a man in a uniform
I love a man in a uniform
(they love to see you shoot)
I love a man in a uniform
The girls they love to see you shoot
I love a man in a uniform
(they love to see you shoot)
The girls they love to see you shoot
I love a man in a uniform
(they love a, they love a, they love a)
(they love to see you shoot)
The girls they love to see you shoot
(bang bang you're dead)
I love a man in a uniform
(they love a they love a they love a bang bang)
(they love to see you shoot)
The girls they love to see you shoot
I love a man in a uniform
(they love a they love a they love a bang bang)
(they love to see you shoot)
The girls they love to see you shoot
(bang bang you're dead)
I love a man in a uniform
(they love a they love a they love a bang bang)
(they love to see you shoot)
The girls they love to see you shoot
(bang bang you're dead)
(they love a, they love a, they love a)
(I love a man in a uniform)
The lyrics to Gang of Four's "I Love A Man In A Uniform" depict a disillusioned young man who seeks to escape his unfulfilling life by enlisting in the military. He believes that through military service, he can regain his self-respect and ability to provide for his girlfriend. The line "the good life was so elusive, handouts they got me down" suggests that he has struggled with unemployment or poverty and feels that the military is his only option.
The repeated line "the girls they love to see you shoot" underscores the young man's belief that military service will make him more desirable to women. The final lines, "I need an order/ shoot, shoot," indicate a desire for structure and direction that the military provides.
Overall, the song is a critique of the glorification of violence and the military as a means of escape from socio-economic struggles. It questions the role that society and culture play in shaping the desires and values of young people, and whether joining the military is truly a solution to their problems.
Line by Line Meaning
Time with my girl I spent it well
I cherished the moments spent with my girlfriend
I had to be strong for my woman
I needed to be brave and protective for my girlfriend
(You must be joking, o man you must be joking)
She needed to be protected
I am serious about protecting my girlfriend from any harm
The good life was so elusive
Living a comfortable life seemed unattainable
Handouts, they got me down
Receiving help from others made me feel low
I had to regain my self-respect
I needed to feel worthy of respect again
So I got into camouflage
I joined the military and dressed in camo clothing to feel a sense of purpose
The girls they love to see you shoot
Women are attracted to men in uniform who can show off their shooting skills
I love a man in a uniform [Repeat: x4]
I am attracted to men who wear a uniform, and find confidence and strength in it
To have ambitions was my ambition
I aspired to have aspirations and dreams to work towards
But I had nothing to show for my dreams
I had no tangible achievements to demonstrate my ambitions
I need an order
(shoot, shoot)
I need an order
(shoot, shoot)
I need an order
(shoot, shoot)
I need an order
(shoot, shoot)
I crave direction and guidance from my superiors in the military
The girls they love to see you shoot
The girls they love to see you shoot
Women are attracted to men in uniform who can showcase their shooting abilities
I love a man in a uniform [Repeat: x4]
I am attracted to men who wear a uniform, and find confidence and strength in it
(they love to see you shoot)
(bang bang you're dead)
Women enjoy watching men use their firearms, regardless of the deadly nature of guns
(they love a they love a they love a bang bang)
(they love to see you shoot)
Women are enthralled by men who can wield a gun and shoot with precision
(they love to see you shoot)
(bang bang you're dead)
(they love a, they love a, they love a)
(I love a man in a uniform)
Women appreciate men in uniform who can demonstrate their shooting skills, and I find those men attractive
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: ANDY GILL, JON KING
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind